The Vakola police are yet to take action against four police personnel accused of planting drugs in an innocent person’s pocket at Kalina. The case was filed on December 19, but even after eight days, no action has been taken. However, the Vakola police stated that they had issued a notice, but the accused were not found at their respective locations, and the investigation is ongoing.
The complainant’s advocate, Akshay Bhole, representing Dylan Estbeiro, criticised the police for filing the case under weak sections. Bhole stated, “The police have not invoked the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act and Section 111 of the Organised Crime provisions. All the applied sections are bailable, and only limited sections have been invoked. The police conducted a basic panchnama at the scene but failed to summon the accused for statements or carry out further investigation. We plan to approach the Deputy Commissioner of Police to request the application of appropriate sections. Since most applied sections are bailable, there was no need for the police to issue a notice either.”
A police officer, in response, said, “We issued a notice, but the accused were not found at their known locations. The investigation is ongoing.”
The Vakola police have registered an FIR against four police personnel for allegedly kidnapping and disobeying the directions of a public servant in connection with a drug-planting incident that occurred in Kalina on August 30. The case, filed on December 19, names PSI Vishwanath Omble and constables Imran Shaikh, Sagar Kamble, and Shinde (also known as Dabang Shinde) as the accused.
On August 30, PSI Omble and three constables in plain clothes from the Khar police station visited Shahbaz Khan’s livestock farm in Kalina, where Dylan Estbeiro, 30, was working. They accused Dylan of drug possession and placed 20 grams of mephedrone in his pocket during a staged search. The entire incident was captured on CCTV, which Khan later reviewed and made viral. Following the release of the footage, the Khar police freed Dylan. The incident led to widespread public outrage, prompting Deputy Commissioner Raj Tilak Roushan to suspend the four officers on August 31.
Nearly three and a half months later, the Vakola police registered the case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 198 (public servant disobeying the law with intent to cause injury), Section 199 (public servant disobeying directions under the law), Section 137(2) (kidnapping), Section 127(1) (wrongful confinement), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and Section 3(5) (general explanations).
